Record Sport understands the former Burnley boss has held positive talks with chairman Roy MacGregor over the past 24 hours and has emerged as the preferred candidate to become Jim McIntyre's successor.

It's believed Coyle has also agreed personal terms with the Highlanders and that talks are so advanced an announcement is likely to be made before this weekend's crunch showdown with fellow early-season strugglers Kilmarnock.

Macgregor has moved for Coyle after sacking McIntyre (Image: SNS Group)

Coyle - who turned down the Celtic job in 2009 - has also been linked this week with a return to former club Falkirk but now looks set to kickstart his career back in the top flight of the Scottish game instead.

McIntyre was sacked on Monday despite leading County to a League Cup triumph in 2016 and a top-six finish in the same season.

The Staggies finished seventh in the last campaign but MacGregor decided to wield the axe, a decision labelled 'harsh' by McIntyre.